Time passed steadily, and before long, more than half an hour had passed.
The sun sank further towards the west, and beams of sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, casting light across a wide area of the forest.
Two figures stood within this area, facing each other. Neither spoke nor moved. The scene seemed as though time had frozen, leaving one perplexed.
These two were none other than Qingming and Mizutani Yuichi.
Since more than half an hour ago, Qingming had been reading Mizutani Yuichi's memories. In order to gather as much information as possible, he had not stopped, even now.
Thankfully, his mental strength was powerful enough, and his proficiency with the "Genjutsu: Sharingan" surpassed expectations, allowing him to endure this process.
After another ten or so minutes, Qingming finally opened his eyes.
In that instant, there was a brief flicker of confusion in his gaze—this was the result of absorbing too much information in a short period of time.
However, the disoriented state didn't last long. Within a few seconds, it disappeared.
Qingming carefully sensed the chakra of Mizutani Yuichi in front of him, then examined his appearance and attire before forming seals and using "Transformation Jutsu."
Boom~
With a puff of chakra smoke, a figure identical to Mizutani Yuichi appeared in the clearing.
This was Qingming in disguise!
This time, Qingming's "Transformation Jutsu" wasn't a hasty application. Even if someone observed closely, unless they were very familiar with Mizutani Yuichi, they wouldn't easily notice the difference.
After adjusting his appearance several times to ensure no issues, Qingming then used a "Chakra Surgical Knife" to slit Mizutani Yuichi's throat.
A strong sense of suffocation washed over Mizutani Yuichi, and he finally broke free from the genjutsu.
However, when he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a familiar face.
"Is this... me?"
The thought flashed through Mizutani Yuichi's mind.
But soon, he realized that this was Qingming's disguise.
He seemed to remember something, and his emotions became agitated.
His pupils widened, his mouth slightly opened, as if he wanted to speak, but no words came out. Instead, blood poured from his mouth in a desperate gasp.
Qingming stood by, silently watching.
A few moments later, Mizutani Yuichi died, and his aura completely dissipated.
Qingming stripped him of his Takigakure forehead protector and ninja tools, then formed more seals and cast the Fire Style: "Flame Consumption Technique!"
Boom~
A burst of flames engulfed Mizutani Yuichi's body instantly, reducing him to a pile of ashes in no time.
Whoosh~
A strong wind suddenly blew, scattering the ashes across the forest floor.
When everything settled, Qingming donned the Takigakure forehead protector and attached the ninja tools bag. He then hurried over to the three sleeping Genin.
At this point, the three had yet to awaken.
Arriving at the mountain path, Qingming raised his hand, formed seals, and channeled chakra into the bodies of the three, lifting the genjutsu that had been placed on them.
"Mm~"
One by one, the three Genin slowly woke from their slumber, rubbing their eyes in confusion. They looked around, still unsure of what had happened.
When they finally saw Qingming's frosty expression, they quickly realized the situation. Each of them drew a kunai, forming a defensive formation in a "品" shape, their eyes scanning the surroundings with caution.
This reaction showed that the three had some skill. The moment they realized something was wrong, they immediately formed a defensive position.
It made sense—if they lacked any remarkable abilities, they wouldn't have been tasked to assist an elite Jonin like Mizutani Yuichi.
Qingming watched their response, and after they formed their defensive stance, he imitated Mizutani Yuichi's voice and spoke.
"Alright, the enemy has fled. You don't need to be so tense."
Upon hearing his words, the three Genin relaxed their grip on the kunai, though their vigilance didn't disappear entirely.
Clearly, the sudden attack had left them with some lingering unease.
Ignoring their mental state, Qingming glanced at the sky and spoke, "It's getting late. We need to pick up the pace and return to the village as soon as possible."
He didn't mention anything further about the enemy, and the three Genin didn't dare ask more questions.
After hearing him speak, they immediately acknowledged his instructions.
Qingming nodded indifferently, then began to lead the way.
The three Genin exchanged glances before quickly forming a defensive formation with one in front and two behind, following him closely.
You might ask why he didn't just kill the three Genin and return to the village alone.
The reason was simple: it could cause more trouble.
After all, Mizutani Yuichi and his team had been assigned a mere D-rank mission to eliminate mountain bandits, with no involvement in any ninja conflict.
For such a low-level mission, having an elite Jonin involved while the entire Genin squad is wiped out would certainly seem suspicious.
This would likely attract the attention of the village's intelligence network.
Moreover, Qingming still needed to gather more information about the Seven-Tails in Takigakure, and being investigated by the village's intelligence unit could complicate his mission.
Thus, instead of killing the three Genin and raising suspicion, it was better to take the risk that they might uncover his true identity.
Besides, this provided an early warning system. The three were more familiar with his disguise than anyone else. If he succeeded in fooling them, he would have confidence that no one else would see through it.
On the other hand, if they caught on, it would be a sign he needed to be cautious.
Luckily, his disguise skills were sufficient, and by minimizing communication, the three didn't notice anything unusual.
This bolstered Qingming's confidence about infiltrating Takigakure.
Several hours passed.
Qingming and the three Takigakure Genin, hurrying along, finally returned to Takigakure just before nightfall.
Takigakure was located behind a massive waterfall, and Qingming, along with the three Genin, braved the waterfall's torrent and entered.
Inside was a large cavern guarded by several Takigakure ninjas.
After a brief exchange with the guards, they quickly walked towards the center of the cavern.
This area housed a sizable lake.
Now, they would dive in.
There was an underwater tunnel that led to the true Takigakure village.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
Qingming and the three Genin passed several checkpoints and finally entered the inner parts of Takigakure.
Once inside, Qingming sent the Genin away and proceeded to the mission reception to turn in the task.
Though it was his first time in Takigakure, he had already studied the relevant information from Mizutani Yuichi's memories, so his actions and demeanor were unremarkable.
Additionally, since this mission was a D-rank task, the reception didn't conduct a thorough inspection.
Thus, the mission handoff was quickly completed.
Afterward, Qingming returned to his quarters to rest.
As for the investigation... that could wait!
Though he was confident no one was specifically targeting him, he would still proceed with caution, just in case.
plz support me if you can.
patreon.com/Mano99
all the fanfic is 30 chapter a had and you will get 1 chapter everyday.